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Tucked beneath a grove of pine trees and a strings of lights dangling overhead, sits a slab of ice kept frozen with help from Mother Nature.

The Truckee Ice Rink has been in the same place off Brockway Road, just outside downtown near the river, for 16 years.

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However in recent years, the rink -- which is often surrounded by snow in the winter months -- has been growing in popularity. It’s gotten so busy that there isn’t a day of the week where hockey players aren’t skating around for practices or games.

“It definitely feels organic," said Courtney Taves, a player in the women’s hockey league. "We have pine needles on the ice. We have to clear it when it snows. We have this great wind coming right off the river.”

The rink was created after a group asked the city’s parks and recreation district to provide a space where locals could skate.

“They said, 'we want an ice rink. We want a hockey rink. We want to be able to play,'” Truckee-Donner Recreation Superintendent Sven Leff said.

So the rink was built, with chillers and refrigeration pipes beneath to keep the ice firm when the temperature gets above freezing.

That hasn’t been a problem this week with Truckee’s overnight lows at times dipping into single digits.

Despite the cold weather, the rink was filled Tuesday with children between 7 and 14 years old. They were taking part in a youth hockey clinic lead by Coach Hans Baumaan, whose practices are about more than just hockey.

“We have the kids learning the basics of hockey, the basics of skating," Baumaan said. "And then also how to be a team, a team member, a team player.”

In California, the sport’s popularity continues to grow. Nearly 30,000 players are registered with USA Hockey in California, a 52 percent increase over the past 10 years.

With the Winter Olympics underway, many of the children out on the ice are dreaming of representing their country one day.

“They’re really good, and maybe someday I could be there,” said 8-year-old Brody Mitchell.

Kiarra Prochazka has that same dream. The 9-year-old is one of two girls sharpening her skills against the boys.

“Usually the boys are pretty good, better than me, but sometimes it feels really good beating them,” she said.

The rink is so popular there's now a push to bring an NHL-sized rink to Truckee.

Fundraising will begin shortly with construction expected to be finished in the next two to three years.